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Showdown at Cremation Creek (Part II)
Showdown at Cremation Creek (Part II) is the thirteenth episode of Season 2 and the overall twenty-sixth episode of The Venture Bros. It is the second part of the two-part season finale. Plot Summary The episode begins with a twelve second montage of [[Showdown at Cremation Creek (Part I)|''Showdown at Cremation Creek (Part I)]], leading up to Phantom Limb's ultimatum to return Dr. Girlfriend/Dr. Fiancée to him or have the Cocoon and everyone inside destroyed. Pandemonium ensues as all of the guests at the wedding quickly depart to escape Phantom Limb's forces, while the Monarch and Dr. Girlfriend/Dr. Fiancée refuse to comply. Angered, Phantom Limb commands two of his operatives to intervene. They are Klaus Nomi and Iggy Pop, who had arrived at the wedding with David Bowie undercover in the previous episode. David Bowie, in an attempt to defend The Monarch, fights Iggy and Klaus. He is seemingly defeated. By this time Dr. Girlfriend has fainted and The Monarch cannot revive her, leading him to ask for Brock's help against Iggy and Klaus. Brock is subdued and Dr. Girlfriend is kidnapped. Dean Venture, having been locked in the engine room of The Cocoon in the previous episode, tries to summon help, but can't raise anyone on his wrist radio. After giving up, he walks to the bottom of a staircase and finds a soda can tab. He puts it on his finger, and a mysterious voice tells him that he has found the "ring of power," and that they have been waiting for eons for someone who could successfully wear the ring without dying. Giant Boy Detective, who looks and sounds a lot like Master Billy Quizboy, appears and tells Dean that they are going to save the kingdom and restore Princess Tinglepants, who, likewise, looks and sounds like Triana Orpheus, to the throne so peace will reign for all eternity. He is dressed in the manner of Richard "Data" Wang from ''Goonies, while Triana resembles Princess Irulan from the 1984 version of Dune. Dean is disappointed until Giant Boy Detective reluctantly adds that they will also solve a "super cool mystery" in the process. Giant Boy Detective then leads the way with a magic flashlight; he shines his light on the wall and an image of pink clouds and blue sky appears. The Order of the Triad (Doctor Orpheus, The Alchemist, and Jefferson Twilight) are preparing the X-1 to rescue the others. The Sullustan that the Triad summoned from a trading card in the previous episode sits in the co-pilot's seat; The Alchemist, upset about sitting in the back, proposes it being "an abomination." The Sullustan launches the plane. Back at The Cocoon, Brock instructs the Monarch to fly The Cocoon itself to avoid the armada, and to organize an armed strike team to get back Dr. Girlfriend. Brock starts giving orders but soon lets the Monarch take over. Phantom Limb tells Dr. Girlfriend to get out of her wedding dress and into her Queen Etherea costume, and to stand at his side. She refuses, and asks if he knows how the Sovereign will react when he finds out that Phantom Limb used the Guild army for a lover's quarrel. Iggy and Klaus begin laughing in the background. When Dr. Girlfriend asks why they are laughing, Phantom Limb mockingly says that the Sovereign will be all right with it, because he is the Sovereign. He then orders the armada to attack. The Cocoon evades. Elsewhere in The Cocoon, the henchmen are attempting to create a strike team for Dr. Girlfriend's rescue. Henchman 21 orders the men to follow Brock. Brock says that even though he's beat on most of the henchmen in the past they have to put aside their differences for the time being and focus on getting back Dr. Girlfriend. In a rousing speech, he says they are no longer butterflies... they are now murderflies. Hank also wants to help, but Brock says no and tells him to find Dean and hide. Meanwhile, in Dean's adventure, Triana Orpheus (that is, Princess Tinglepants) appears in a field of puffy clouds and calls Dean a "savior of our world," and Dean is presented to The Great White Oracle (who looks just like Pete White). The Oracle doesn't believe he is a fighter. Dean says that he can do it... he is, after all, the chosen one. The Oracle and a giant rat man, who resembles and talks like Dr. Venture, still don't believe him. Back at the Grand Canyon, Brock is sending the henchmen into battle when he is approached by a "Russian exchange henchman." Brock doesn't realize this is actually Hank in disguise. Hank is wearing large goggles and his fake beard. Brock sends him into battle Hank then promptly falls out of The Cocoon and plummets towards the ground. Brock, now flying, grabs him and finds out who he really is, but as he can't do anything about it, decides to take Hank with him. Brock then shouts out tactical instructions to the henchmen as the battle begins. Phantom Limb is alerted to the attack and tells the armada ships to stand their ground and let them come to him. Dr. Girlfriend still can't believe that he is the Sovereign. She realizes that the real plan is to kill the Sovereign, Bowie, and take his place. Iggy, meanwhile, steps outside to smoke a cigarette. Bowie appears out of Iggy's cigarette and knocks him off Limb's ship. Meanwhile, Dean attacks what he thinks is a child labor camp run by The Insect King, a mutant insect that sounds like The Monarch, and disables the engine that the children were powering. At the same moment, The Cocoon's engines go off-line. The Monarch asks his henchmen to go to the engine room and figure out what went wrong, but they refuse, saying "that place is spooky." The Monarch and Dr. Venture make their way towards Monarch's escape cocoon. David Bowie shapeshifts into Iggy and sneaks into Phantom Limb's main chamber. He soon kills Klaus and gets into a fight with Phantom Limb. Brock, Hank, 24, and 21 have reached the roof of Phantom Limb's aircraft and are futilely trying to enter (as they forgot the bolt cutters) when they are swiped by the X-1. Out of control, the X-1 is about to crash into The Cocoon. Doctor Venture and The Monarch arrive at the escape cocoon and, after getting rid of a passing henchmen who wants to go along, escape The Cocoon. Dean, still hallucinating, has rescued the princess, and all is now well in Insectia. Dean suggests making out with the princess, and does. A luckdragon tells Dean he loves him. Suddenly, everything goes back to normal and the dragon is revealed to actually be the wreckage of the X-1, which has crashed into the side of The Cocoon. The Sullustan was killed in the crash, and the Alchemist minds the Triad not to step in his remains. Doctor Orpheus and The Alchemist see Dean, still hallucinating, and hope to rescue him from his delusions. The escape cocoon containing The Monarch and Dr. Venture then crashes into Phantom Limb's craft. In the midst of the wreckage, henchmen are everywhere and floating in a river (thanks to their wings, which are also handy flotation devices). The Monarch grabs Dr. Girlfriend and makes sure she is all right. Dr. Girlfriend, although pinned underneath what she thinks is Phantom Limb's leg, is fine. The rest of Phantom Limb is nowhere to be found--apparently, somewhere during the commotion, he has escaped, though he's obviously grievously wounded. The Monarch declares he now has a new arch-enemy, but Bowie tells him not to worry, as whatever is left of Phantom Limb will have nowhere on earth to hide, once he sics his "Diamond Dogs" on him. Bowie then bids them all a fond farewell, wishes Dr. Girlfriend and The Monarch congratulations, and then shapeshifts into a bald eagle and flies away. Doctor Venture survives the crash, although he has swallowed a gold filling. The Order of the Triad arrives with an unconscious Dean in tow. Doctor Orpheus is carrying him when he trips and falls, dropping Dean, and reviving him in the process. Doctor Venture sarcastically thanks Brock for not keeping track of Dean's whereabouts. The Alchemist finds an unspecified invisible severed appendage of the Phantom Limb's and decides to keep it. The Ventures and The Order of the Triad then head home in the X-1, with Dean hanging out of the top of the airplane. Jefferson Twilight asks if Dean will be all right up there since there is limited oxygen and it is extremely cold outside at their altitude. Brock says that Dean does that a lot and he'll pass out in a few minutes. Inside of an escape cocoon, The Monarch and his new wife are on their honeymoon. Dr. Girlfriend says she has something to tell The Monarch that might "change things." Psyching herself up (and inadvertently revealing her given name of Sheila), she takes a deep breath and announces, "Monarch, I'm..." The scene suddenly jumps to the exterior of the rescue cocoon as The Monarch incredulously exclaims, "What?!?" Episode Cast * James Urbaniak: Dr. Venture, Phantom Limb, David Bowie, The Lab Rat * Patrick Warburton: Brock Samson * Michael Sinterniklaas: Dean Venture * [[Jackson Publick|'Chris McCulloch']]: Hank Venture, The Monarch, Henchman 24, Klaus, Iggy, The White Oracle, Additional Voices * [[Doc Hammer|'Doc Hammer']]: Dr. Girlfriend, Henchman 21, Giant Boy Detective * Steven Rattazzi: Dr. Byron Orpheus * Dana Snyder: The Alchemist * Lisa Hammer: Princess Tinglepants * Charles Parnell: Jefferson Twilight * Soul-Bot: H.E.L.P.eR. Wedding Guests The Monarch and Dr. Girlfriend held their wedding in The Cocoon. Amongst the wedding guests were: *Bearded Spectre *Brock Samson *Chairman Wao *Dr. Henry Killinger (officiant) *Dr. Thaddeus "Rusty" Venture (best man) *Hammerhead Abomination *Hank Venture (as Russian Guyovitch) *Hate-Bit *Henchman 21 *Henchman 24 *Iggy Pop *Kevin *Klaus Nomi *Mommy Longlegs *Plug Face Guy *Princess Tinyfeet *Rick Danger *Sergeant Hatred *The Fluttering Horde *Tim-Tom *Torrid *Unnamed Balding Villain *Unnamed Cowboy Villain *Unnamed Fishman Villain *Unnamed Villain in Bird Costume *Unnamed Villain in Rodent Costume *Unnamed Villain in Scuba Gear *Wild Fop Connections to Other Episodes [[The Terrible Secret of Turtle Bay|''The Terrible Secret of Turtle Bay]] *Hank's henchman costume is the version that was seen in the pilot episode. [[Careers in Science|Careers in Science]] * Dean was previously seen with a Giant Boy Detective book in [[Careers in Science|''Careers in Science]]. [[Hate Floats|''Hate Floats]] *The Monarch's set of wings was revealed in [[Hate Floats|''Hate Floats]] to be capable of flight, though it wasn't clear if his henchmen's wings were also capable of flight. [[Fallen Arches|''Fallen Arches]] * Dean was previously seen with a Giant Boy Detective book in [[Fallen Arches|''Fallen Arches]].'' [[Showdown at Cremation Creek (Part I)|Showdown at Cremation Creek (Part I)]] *One of the henchmen who forgives Brock has markings over his face and an eye-patch. This is the henchman that Brock injured with the tattoo needle in the flashback in [[Showdown at Cremation Creek (Part I)|''Showdown at Cremation Creek (Part I)]]. Cultural References [[wikipedia:David Bowie|'David Bowie']] * When Sovereign transforms from the cigarette pack, he yells "make way for the Homo Superior!" lyrics from his 1971 song "Oh! You Pretty Things"''. This apparent revelation of his divergence from traditional humans may also be an explanation for his shape-shifting powers. * After Iggy has thrown his energy ball at Sovereign and believes he has killed him, Klaus states "Ding, dong. The Queen Bitch is dead." which is a reference to Bowie's 1971 song "Queen Bitch". * The Sovereign says he'll sic his "Diamond Dogs" (vicious canine robots) on Phantom Limb to track him down. ''Diamond Dogs is the name of a 1974 David Bowie album, as well as the album's title track. * Hank calls Sovereign "the guy from ''Labyrinth''", a 1986 fantasy film in which David Bowie played the antagonist Jareth, The Goblin King. * Henchman 21 namechecks the 1976 Bowie album Station to Station, calling Henchman 24 a poser for namechecking Changesonebowie, which is a greatest hits album that collected songs from the 1969–1976 period. [[wikipedia:Dracula|''Dracula]]' (1897)' * While watching Sovereign and Phantom Limb fight, Hank says "It's like Dracula fighting Yoda in there." * British actor Christopher Lee, who famously played Count Dracula in numerous films, played Count Dooku in ''Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. Count Dooku famously fought Yoda in a climactic lightsaber duel. [[wikipedia:Fast Times at Ridgemont High|'Fast Times at Ridgemont High']]' (1982)' * The Monarch refers to Iggy Pop as "Spicoli", a reference to Sean Penn's character in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. [[wikipedia:Gauloises|'Gauloises']] * The Sovereign smokes a pack of "Gaullistes" cigarettes, a clear parody of the French cigarette brand Gauloises. David Bowie famously smoked the French cigarettes Gauloises and Gitanes throughout the 1970s. [[wikipedia:G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1985 TV series)|'G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero']]' (1983-1986)' * When Dean crashes through the ceiling of the "child labor camp", he says "Yo, Joe!", the catchphrase and battlecry used in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. [[wikipedia:Iggy Pop|'Iggy Pop']] * When Klaus and Iggy present Dr. Girlfriend to Phantom Limb, she calls them his "stooges", to which Klaus responds "I wasn't in the Stooges." Iggy Pop was the founder and leader of the proto-punk band The Stooges. * Before the fight scene, Iggy says "Now you're gonna be my dog", a reference to the song "I Wanna Be Your Dog"'' by Iggy Pop and The Stooges. He also tells Sovereign that for thirty years he's been playing the idiot, a reference to his solo album ''The Idiot, as well as the extensive guidance and support Bowie has given Iggy Pop throughout his career. * When Iggy launches the energy ball of "raw power", he says "Pop!" * When Iggy requests to fight against The Monarch's minions, he tells Phantom Limb that he's "a streetwalking cheetah with a heart full of napalm." These are lyrics from the song "Search and Destroy", from the 1973 Stooges album Raw Power. Iggy then barks at Phantom Limb to "gimme danger", which references a song title from the same album. [[wikipedia:Klaus Nomi|'Klaus Nomi']] * After Iggy has thrown his energy ball at Sovereign and believes he has killed him, Klaus states "Ding, dong. The Queen Bitch is dead." which is a reference to Klaus Nomi's song "Ding Dong" from his 1982 album Simple Man. [[wikipedia:Labyrinth (film)|''Labyrinth]]' (1986)' * Hank calls Sovereign "the guy from [[wikipedia:Labyrinth (film)|''Labyrinth]]", a 1986 fantasy film in which David Bowie played the antagonist Jareth, The Goblin King. [[wikipedia:Banshee (comics)|'Sean Cassidy']]' ("Banshee")' * Klaus Nomi's superpower--the ability to generate sonic blasts of concussive force with his voice--is similar to that of Sean Cassidy (aka Banshee) from Marvel's X-Men comics. Both are also capable of flight. [[wikipedia:Space Ghost (TV series)|'Space Ghost']]' (1966-1968)' * The Monarch's insect analogue in Dean's fantasy greatly resembles Zorak, the 7-foot tall alien mantis antagonist from the animated series Space Ghost. [[wikipedia:Star Wars|'Star Wars']] *Phantom Limb's command ship resembles the LAAT "Republic Attack Gunships" used in the Clone Wars. *Brock says "Great shot, kid! That was one-in-a-million!", a line spoken by Han Solo in Star Wars (1977). *While watching Sovereign and Phantom Limb fight, Hank says "It's like Dracula fighting Yoda in there." British actor Christopher Lee, who famously played Count Dracula in numerous films, played Count Dooku in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. Count Dooku famously fought Yoda in a climactic lightsaber duel. *The sound of The Monarch's Cocoon's engines failing due to Dean's assault is similar to the sound of the hyper-drive failing on the Millennium Falcon during The Empire Strikes Back. *Dean, in his dream, fights an insect-like Monarch. The battle is similar to that between Obi-Wan Kenobi and General Grievous from Revenge of the Sith. Also The Monarch kept referencing his "Black Heart" as his one weak spot, similar to General Grievous, whose only weak spot were his internal organs. [[wikipedia:Tabitha Smith|'Tabitha Smith']]' ("Boom-Boom")' * Iggy Pop's superpower--the ability to generate spheres of "raw power" in his hands and remotely detonate them at will as explosions of energy--is nearly identical to that of Tabitha Smith, a mutant from Marvel Comics who has appeared in New Mutants, Nextwave, X-Factor, X-Force, X-Men, X-Terminators, et al. [[wikipedia:Taco (musician)|'Taco']] * The Monarch refers to Klaus Nomi as "the one dressed like Taco". Taco is a Dutch musician famed for his 1981 cover of the Irving Berlin song "Puttin' on the Ritz". [[wikipedia:The NeverEnding Story (film)|'The NeverEnding Story']]' (1984)' *Dean's fantasy adventure is based on The NeverEnding Story: **Atreyu (Dean) **Childlike Empress (Triana, as Princess Tinglepants) **Nighthob (Dr. Venture, as The Lab Rat) **Cairon (Pete White, as The White Oracle) **Rockbiter (Master Billy Quizboy, as Giant Boy Detective) **Gmork/Nothing (The Monarch) **Falkor (the X-1) **The AURYN of Fantasia ("The Magic Ring of Power", in actuality a pull tab from a soda can) [[wikipedia:The Spy Who Loved Me (film)|'The Spy Who Loved Me']]' (1977)' * The final scene of The Monarch and Doctor Girlfriend floating away in the escape pod continues the James Bond homage, being a direct visual quote from the ending of The Spy Who Loved Me. [[wikipedia:The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)|'The Wizard of Oz']]' (1939)' * After Iggy has thrown his energy ball at The Sovereign and believes he has killed him, Klaus states "Ding, dong. The Queen Bitch is dead." This is a reference to several songs sung by the Munchkins in The Wizard of Oz, one line being "Ding-Dong! The Witch is dead." [[wikipedia:Tron|'Tron']]' (1982)' *One of the vehicles fleeing from the Monarch's Cocoon appears to be based on a Recognizer vehicle from the 1982 film Tron. The vehicle presumably belongs to Hate-Bit.Season 2 DVD commentary for Showdown at Cremation Creek (Part II) Production Notes and Trivia *One of the animation directors (Kimson Albert) has a "nickname" inserted into his credits. The nickname is an unusual line or word from the preceding episode. For [[Showdown at Cremation Creek (Part I)|''Showdown at Cremation Creek (Part I)]] there were no end credits and therefore no inside joke. However, for ''Showdown at Cremation Creek (Part II) the credit reads Kimson "Your Favorite Quote Here" Albert. *The "Astro-Base GO!" logo usually depicts Soul-Bot next to an odd person or animal. This episode, however, replaces both with the creators of The Venture Bros., Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer. *This was the final episode broadcast in Standard Definition (SD). Starting with season three all episodes have been produced and aired in High Definition (HD). *Ken Plume, author of Go Team Venture!: The Art and Making of The Venture Bros., had an uncredited voice cameo in this episode as one of The Monarch's Fluttering Horde henchmen. When The Monarch commands his minions to go investigate the engine room of the Cocoon, Ken voices the henchman who replies "No way. That place is spooky." Goofs *Triana Orpheus (dressed as Princess Tinglepants) can be seen leaving the wedding.Comment on Jackson Publick's LiveJournal *As Dean is still wrapped in his fantasy, we are led to assume the epilogue happened shortly after the events of this episode. However, the X-1 was wrecked at the conclusion of the episode, but is later seen in pristine shape. Repairs could not have possibly been done that fast. However, the ship seen later could have been the X-X-1.''Twenty Years to Midnight'' *Before Dean's fantasy, he was wearing a henchman costume, but at the end he is seen in his dirty, normal clothes. *The Henchmen say they only have the Monarchmobile and 24's Stanza as means of transport. However, in Are You There, God? It's Me, Dean the Cocoon is shown equipped with a winged dronecraft. Although, in the episode ''Victor. Echo. November.'' 21, 24, and The Monarch discuss the lack of alternate transport ("What do you drive?" "His powder-blue Stanza"), this might not be a goof, as the Henchmen were told to destroy the Cocoon at the end of season one, and the dronecraft (which was never shown in season two) was most likely destroyed along with it. *During the battle between Dean and the Insect King, Dean chops off the Insect King's left arm. Throughout the rest of the scene, the amputated limb switches from the left arm to the right arm and back. *David Bowie as a cigarette can be seen clipping through the carton before returning to normal form. *They Make Season 3 For The Intro References Showdown at Cremation Creek (Part II) Category:Episodes Category:Season 2 Category:2006 television episodes